Magic at Moonacre
by MontmarayRoyal
Summary: J. K. Rowling loved The Little White Horse, so why shouldn't they take place in the same universe?


AN: This story contains the characters and plot of The Little White Horse, but ideas and such from Harry Potter. I do not own either The Little White Horse, or Harry Potter.

Benjamin Merryweather sighed sharply. His brother was dead. They hadn't seen each other in many years, Gideon having left as early as he could. It was not easy for a squib in an ancient, pedigreed, pureblood family. And Loveday's entrance into their lives had certainly not made it any easier. Suddenly Gideon was even less a part of the family than a third cousin twice removed(or some such) whom their mother absolutely could not stand.

For the first time in many years, Benjamin allowed his mind to dwell on Loveday. They had gone to Hogwarts together, even before she came to live with them. They met on the train; he was a third year in desperate search of a cauldron cake, she was an odd-looking first year, with an expression that was half obstinate, half terrified. She was also of course carrying a flower pot brimming with salmon pink geraniums. He rushed off to his friends, giving her just a passing smile, but remembers that he was disappointed when she sorted Gryffindor to his Hufflepuff. They met again on the train home, when he was once again searching for the trolley lady, in search of one last cauldron cake before the year's end. They didn't exchange more than a smile, but that was enough for him to fall in love. It was that summer that her parents died, and she moved in with her next of kin, his family. He spent that summer showing her around the estate; Gideon becoming less and less a part of his life. He no longer needed his older brother to play games with, he was happy enough discussing Hogwarts with Loveday, telling horror stories about Madam Snit, the librarian, or the prank that one student had managed to play on the headmistress. He showed her the sheep on Monastery Hill and the village . They went riding together all through the park. He never told Gideon not to come, but Gideon had no interest in hearing about a world he could never be a part of, in once again touring an estate he could never inherit. Instead he left with little fanfare just before Benjamin started his sixth year. He never returned. They received a few letters, he had married a muggle woman, the birth of his daughter, and then silence until just three days ago when they received a notice of his death.

After Benjamin finished Hogwarts, he learned how to run the estate, by then he started to realize how much he missed Gideon, but it was too late. Loveday finished two years later, and he was no longer lonely. Together they continued to learn, she to run the house that would be hers, when they (as they surely would) have married. It was not easy for her, being under his mother's critical eye, she criticized everything from Loveday's stubbornness(a lady must be sweet and docile), to her love of the outdoors(your domain is the house, leave the grounds to your husband). And of course the pink geraniums. Loveday's favorite flower, they had spilled over gradually from her room into the stairwell. Every time Lady Isabella came across one, she would vanish it immediately, but Loveday just continued duplicating those in her room. They became almost a symbol of the ongoing quarreling between them, than an issue in of themselves. When his mother's criticism had started to dwindle, they assumed that it was a sign of her increasing trust in Loveday, by the time they realized how ill she was, it was too late.

A year later, after mourning had finished, three days before the wedding, they had invited the parson over for dinner. And that was when it happened, the argument. An argument that started over of all things, the pink geraniums. She had filled the house with them, and he had just lost it at what seemed at the time like a deliberate insult to his mother's memory. He can't quite remember what happened, but there were banishing charms involved, straight through the window, most of them. It took Marmaduke ages to clean all of them up, even elf magic couldn't pick millions of shards of glass up instantaneously. She left before he had even finished casting the charms, and gone to the nearest muggle village; he sent Digweed after her, to make sure she was safe, but didn't send a message, he certainly would not apologize first.

Now for the first time in many years, he found himself wishing he had gone after her. If he was already bringing two females into the house, renouncing the bachelor lifestyle that he and Marmaduke had shared, he might as well have lived with her. It would be nice if he were able to provide this motherless fifteen year old girl with aq mother, and perhaps even (dare he even suggest it) a houseful of siblings.

As he awaited Digweed's return, he checked that the warming charms had not worn off of the food on the table and that the napkins were clean(he had insisted that they actually be washed, a scouring charm was usually good enough for him). He heard the gates open, knowing that in minutes he would see the little white horse. Old Elspeth's patronus had changed years ago, perhaps in deference to her old mistress, into that symbol of the fair and fickle, slim and dainty moon Merryweathers, in deference to Loveday.

He wondered if the girl would look like a Merryweather, even if her blood was not magical, even if she had no knowledge of magic, she was still a Merryweather. He was taking a risk bringing her into an all-magical village like this, but his niece was not about to go and live with stranger, not if he had anything to do with it. Her governess was more problematic, but he would not get rid of the one person who it seemed Maria loved.

The carriage rolled up and a young lady got out; he was quite pleased to see that she looked every inch a Merryweather; there was obviously still magical blood in her veins. The governess a rather odd-looking, old-fashioned lady, with an indisputable air of elegance emerged after her, and he was shocked to notice a hint of a memory charm on her as well. A memory charm whose extremely faded magical signature he recognized quite well. He smiled and went forward to greet them.

AN: Please review, i love constructive criticism, including grammar and spelling critiques.


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